The successful founder--and seller--of public Permian-focused E&P Parsley Energy, Bryan Sheffield has been actively raising private capital toward his Formentera Partners, a buyer of U.S. PDP, and just raised public equity in the IPO of Tamboran Resources. Here, he describes the 2024 climate for both public and private capital-raising as well as Formentera's and Tamboran's plans.

Much has been made about private equity’s apparent exit from traditional energy opportunities. But stabilized oil prices, smarter production growth and ever-increasing demand are drawing PE funds back to the sector. Meanwhile, energy transition opportunities could finally be realizing meaningful margins. In this session, private equity leaders will discuss: 

• What appeals today to private investors, and the path to accessing capital
• From active investment to realized opportunities: The road to the investment endgame
• The impact of consolidation on private equity funding
• Why some private equity firms are exiting traditional energy, and why many are returning

With private equity and major bank lenders exiting oil and gas, family offices are emerging as a real solution to a capital access challenge. In fact, oil and gas producers could source up to 12% of their capital from family offices, according to a Haynes Boone survey of energy executives. 

• Too big to ignore: How the oil and gas industry’s resiliency, and new approach to returns, makes for smart investments for family offices
• What family offices look for in a potential investment opportunity, and how to access capital
• How traditional energy’s operating cycle appeals to family office investors
• Outside money: What about the oil and gas industry appeals to typically non-sector investors.

Much has been made about shrinking capital opportunities in the traditional oil and gas sector. Today’s capital environment faces continued ESG pressure and an increased desire for scale and relevancy. So where do today’s small and mid-capital companies turn for growth capital? This panel discussion will answer those questions and more, including:

• Can smaller companies access public equity for growth and/or consolidation?
• Does the public equity market care? Does it want or need more IPOs?
• Will a secondary market fill the void for banks leaving or shrinking their capital availability?
• Is the pendulum swinging back toward traditional oil and gas companies?

Listen in as Karl Rove shares his unique insight into the upcoming presidential election and its effect on global energy issues. From 2000 to 2007 Rove served as Senior Advisor to former President George W. Bush, and from 2004 to 2007 as Deputy Chief of Staff. Known as “The Architect” of President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns, Rove now is a frequent contributor to Fox News, writes a weekly op-ed for The Wall Street Journal and is a New York Times bestselling author. 

Private equity leaders in the energy sector have found success in a diverse portfolio of investments. Many that are in the for the long haul have realized the value in investing in not only traditional oil and gas producers, but also in the energy transition and decarbonization sectors. Simply put, realized investments can be found in nearly every sector of energy production and decarbonization. In this spotlight session, a private equity leader will discuss:

• The importance of a diverse portfolio amid the energy transition
• How to access capital amid a shrinking market
• Why traditional energy is still a smart investment
• The outlook for private equity in the short and long term 

Ben Dell, Kimmeridge co-founder and managing partner, helped bring the energy sector into the modern age as a private equity manager with an activist strategy. In the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kimmeridge and others led the industry's push toward capital discipline and investor returns to make the oil and gas sector more viable for longer.  As other investors have shied away, Kimmeridge doubled down on oil and gas with its Fund VI. Kimmeridge also is pushing more into LNG with its bigger stake in the Commonwealth LNG project and in nature-based CCS with Chestnut Carbon. In this session, Dell will discuss the evolution toward discipline, including the mergers that led to Civitas, Ovintiv and others, and what the future holds and where the dollars will come from. 

With past industry performance and ESG pressures pushing traditional lenders out of the sector, operators are looking for the right path to accessing capital. Private equity is still in play, family offices are becoming a bigger player, and banks still play a role. In this session, you’ll hear from the decision makers in the C-suite as they discuss:

• Considerations on production plans as they pursue capital
• What types of returns are expected, and how to achieve them
• Insight into identifying and accessing capital
• Emerging trends to keep an eye on capital allocation

Private secondaries markets have traditionally consisted of selling individual limited partner interests in funds to other investors. In recent years, the secondaries market has shifted to become a broader capital source for the exchange of private fund interests and investments, with both general partners and limited partners actively using the secondary market today. In this panel discussion, you’ll hear more about:

• What’s fueling the emergence of secondaries markets
• Who are the players, and what is their outlook
• The role of a portfolio company’s management team in secondaries transactions
• How secondaries transactions could broaden capital sources

Amid mounting ESG and climate-related pressures, major banks are looking elsewhere to invest. But mid-sized and regional banks are still active in financing E&Ps in traditional operating sectors. So direct lending capital is still available—if you know where to look. This session will cover:

• Which banks are still active in direct lending, and how to access their capital
• Insight into recent direct lending deals and how they got done
• Details around financing structures and operational performance
• Operational practices that appeal most to direct lenders

Since their introduction, asset-backed securitizations have caused some head scratching among E&Ps. Now, as the number of ABS transactions has grown, E&Ps are now learning of their true benefit. The ABS market continues to grow, and so has investor confidence. In this session, you’ll learn more about:

• What are asset-backed securitizations, and how do they work?
• Details of announced ABS transactions and the results of those deals
• What sectors make the most sense for ABS deals
• What can ABS financing be used for?